No Plan B

No Plan B

by | Apr 1, 2022 | Newsletter | 0 comments

God has no Plan B for you. But we all seem to want Plan B. I’m talking about myself here as well. But, I think the more I preach about the truth of Plan A, the more willing I am to go for God’s plan. We just finished a message series called “Flip The Church”. The series was about making disciples of the vast majority of our people. Jesus said nothing about us growing a church. He only said one thing about building a church and in that instance, He said that He would do it. What did He say for us to do? “Go and make disciples”. This is Plan A. There is no other plan for you or for me.
 
The first order of business is to become a disciple. While I consider myself to be one, I also know that I am in the process of becoming a better one. The calling of the church is to follow Christ and to make disciples. That comes through teaching, apprenticing and immersion. There is a great book by Mike Breen and Steve Cockram entitled, “Building A Discipling Culture”. If you’re curious, it’s a very good read.
 
There’s not much news in this blog. The title says it all. The point is to get you thinking the way God is thinking. If there is no Plan B, why not embrace God’s real plan for you and for all those around you? He wants you and your family and all your friends! He wants you! He doesn’t want you for what you can do for Him, but for what He longs to do for you. He will do for you what Jesus did for His disciples. He changed them into the type of person that He was. And He’ll do the same for you. And then through you (believe it or not), He’ll do the same for others. That’s the plan! There is no other.
 
Embrace the idea! Teaching is plentiful in the church and most of us are getting enough already. But, as He leads you, take advantage of the opportunities that cross your path to be apprenticed by a more mature believer and to be immersed in the culture of Christ.  Look for every opportunity to make Jesus Lord in every area of your life. There is no plan B.
A Good Matthew McConaughey Impression

A Good Matthew McConaughey Impression

by | Mar 25, 2022 | Newsletter | 0 comments

Do you love a good impression? Almost everyone does! I do a few impressions. Some good and some not so good. I used to do impressions of local pastors and it always got a laugh. I’ve since wised up and I canned that act. One thing I’ve learned though, is that a good impression is very good, but a bad one is very bad. A bad impression is almost unbearable. 
I’m a big Elvis fan. I always have been. So when a guy that I knew revealed to me that he had a side gig as an Elvis impersonator, I was intrigued. When I was invited to see my friend’s show, I happily agreed. O my gosh! It was awful. He didn’t look like him, act like him or sound like him. If is weren’t for the songs, I wouldn’t have even known who my buddy was trying to impersonate. I wanted to leave after the first note but I had gotten myself into something I couldn’t get out of. I had to fake enjoyment (I have no poker face) for the rest of the night. It was excruciating. 
But good impressions are powerful! An accurate portrayal will bring a crowd to their feet in an instant. We’ve all seen these impressions- Jim Carrey doing Michael Landon, Clint Eastwood or William Shatner or Matt Damon and Kate Hudson doing their best version of Matthew McConaughey. It’s so funny, entertaining and mesmerizing. It’s powerful!
In the same way, a bad Jesus impression will turn the stomach. It must be a great impression if it is to be powerful and effective. But there’s a secret here. If we were all willing, we could all do a great Jesus. We could imitate Him perfectly because that is exactly what He wants. In fact, He gives us part of Himself and when it comes through in the things we think, say and do, it’s amazing. His thoughts, His words and His actions are spot on because they are authentic. They are coming from the source Himself. 
You might say, “I don’t feel like imitating Christ”. I doubt many of us feel like it in the beginning because it’s the very act of “trying” that brings everything that is Him to the surface. And when He makes His appearance, it’s powerful. It changes us and almost everyone around us. This week, I received a text that was obviously meant to be sarcastic and degrading. I stopped and asked God, “How should I reply”. I texted back as if the insult was meant to be a complement and thanked the person for it. Guess what. The reply to my text was kind and generous. Imitate Matthew McConaughey and you may get a laugh “Alright, Alright, Alright”. Imitate Jesus, and you’ll change someone’s life. 
What You Say Is What You Are

What You Say Is What You Are

by | Mar 11, 2022 | Newsletter | 0 comments

What you say is what you are. That is mostly true but not always. We think and say things that are sometimes completely out of character and not consistent with who we are. We all do it. But the question that has been running through my head this week is, “Does our identity follow what we think or do our thoughts define who we are?”. The answer is both. Who we believe ourselves to be in our heart of hearts, definitely influences if not controls how we think. And how we think, absolutely affects the image we have of ourselves. 
 
The scripture says in Proverbs 23:7, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”. Many people rightly point out that this is not the main idea of this verse in context but nevertheless, it is still true. Who we are on the inside is who we are. And we know that God wants to change us on the inside, so that our hearts and minds match Christ’s. The question for us is how do we change who we are? It seems to be a cycle that goes something like this. Our thoughts define our identity and our identity in return influences our thought patterns. To make a change, we simply need to change the way we think. And we can most certainly do that. 
 
Try it today. Just 30 minutes before I sat down to write this blog, I found myself worrying about a particular thing that needed my attention. I began to talk to myself and say, “Why am I always having to deal with these kinds of problems?”. The negative thoughts were literally coming out of my mouth. But, then I took my own advice and stopped for a couple of seconds and replied to myself, “I am not going to think this way, I will instead, think like Jesus”. So I said to God quickly, “I believe that you are in control of my life and I’ll trust you in this and not worry”. Suddenly, my whole mood changed and along with my mood, at least part of my identity changed. Now I’m not thinking like the old Rob but like the new one. The nature that is like Christ has taken over and now I find that I like myself much more than I did just one hour ago. And why wouldn’t you like someone who is becoming more like Jesus? 
 
Are you ready for this experiment? Try it, and you’ll find that the good stuff of God will come and real change in your heart will happen!
Turn Your Life Right-Side-Up

Turn Your Life Right-Side-Up

by | Mar 3, 2022 | Newsletter | 0 comments

Bring your phone, your notebook and your Bible! This week we are beginning Phase II. Phase II is our commitment to help you grow deeper in your faith and realize the dreams that God dreams for you! Each church has an organizational aspect. Organization is vital in order for us to accomplish just about anything in this world. God loves to organize things. All creation is organized. But creation is not about organization and neither is the Church. Christianity is about God’s relationship with His people. That’s the main thing. If the people are growing and moving in step with God, the organization will move with them. This Sunday, we will begin a new chapter in the life of our body of believers.

Our Grow Team has been working on what we are calling our Life Course. This clear spiritual path will focus on helping each of us to develop our relationship with God and our friendships with one another. In order to plot the correct course, we must know God, know ourselves and each other. To fully accomplish this vision of worshiping God and helping people, we must follow Jesus, keeping our eyes constantly fixed on Him. He doesn’t just want to grow our organization, He wants to fulfill the purposes that He has imagined for each one of us. His goal for us isn’t simply to plug us into the church organization but to take us far beyond the walls of the church building. He wants you to fulfill the potential that He placed in your heart when He formed you in your mother’s womb. You are full of promise! You are brimming with purpose and possibility. As we continue to say yes to God, we will move ahead in our faith, form deep and lasting friendships and an unshakable relationship with our Creator.

An Unlikely Love Story

An Unlikely Love Story

by | Feb 17, 2022 | Newsletter, Uncategorized | 0 comments

Have you ever dated or even been married to someone who was unfaithful to you? Do you have a close family member or friend who has endured this kind of betrayal? I’ll bet the answer is yes. If it hasn’t happened to you, it’s happened to someone close by. Adultery is at the heart of the enemy’s strategy when it comes to hurting people and destroying relationships. And man, does it hurt! It’s like a dagger to the heart. The grief is like that of a death. It’s the death of a love. 
But, did you know that God can even redeem and resurrect a dead love? He shows us in the story of Hosea and Gomer that He has the power to redeem even the worst offenses. It’s a tragic but beautiful story of a love that trumps all offenses and redeems the irredeemable. I’m so glad that God is not like us. We could never endure this kind of betrayal and revive something as dead as a love that has been abandoned, trampled and thrown away. But God can and He does!
God gives us permission to walk away from an adulterous relationship, but I’ve seen His faithfulness even in the worst circumstances. I’ve seen Him redeem relationships and make them even better than they were before the offense took place. God is very good at taking something that has been destroyed and breathing new and better life into it. In fact, that is just what Jesus came to do. He is taking our lives that were destroyed by our own sin, and He is breathing eternal life into us! He is making us better than we ever were before. He is redeeming our ability to love Him with a pure and faithful love that is eternally connected to Him. 
It’s an unlikely love story but it’s real and it’s taking place right in front of our eyes. Be a part of His great love story by saying yes to God. He is ready. Are you?
Who Are You Really?

Who Are You Really?

by | Feb 3, 2022 | Newsletter | 0 comments

Do you really know yourself? We tend to think of people as either being mostly good or mostly bad. Think about the people you know. How would you describe them? Those who display good character most  of the time, we would describe as good. But those whom we’ve seen in some questionable situations, we tend to think of them as having weak character. But this is really not the most accurate way to look at people. 
It really depends on the situation. Studies have shown that people act much kinder and make wiser decisions when they are at peace and live a low stress lives. Take those same people and expose them to extreme stress and fear and their composed, thoughtful and wise nature breaks down. It’s true. People are both good and bad depending on many factors including environment. So think of that the next time you are tempted to judge someone else. If you had been through what they are going through, maybe you would be more like them and less like the person you perceive yourself to be. 
We are all flawed! But there is Jesus. Jesus makes all the difference and He has come into your soul to change you into His image. When He was at peace, He was perfect love personified! When He was flogged, humiliated, shamed, spit on, mocked and crucified, the only thing that came out was more love. The most beautiful love the world has ever known. And that crucified Christ of Love lives in you. 
As you draw closer to Him and allow Him to increase in your heart, you will change and the stresses and pains of life will begin to have less and less affect on you. You will become a much better person and you’ll notice it. You’ll notice it the most when someone who hasn’t come as far as you shows up with a bad disposition and the Christ in your heart overcomes the impulse of judgement with love, understanding and forgiveness. That’s who you are supposed to be. It’s a beautiful thing!